http://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign
Thu, 07 Nov 2013 09:22:27 -0800IGN Entertainment, Inc.Oysteren-ushttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/11/07/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish
After five and a bit years, the time has come for me to say goodbye to IGN. I am leaving the company for pastures new next week and just wanted to thank a few people before I departed.

Leaving has been a big decision for me to make, but the time feels right for me and I will always be grateful for the opportunities IGN gave me. I've met some incredible people, worked on some brilliant projects, and made a ton of amazing new friends along the way.

I will be leaving the world of games behind as the industry prepares for two of the biggest console launches ever. It's an amazing time for video games, and a glorious time to be working at IGN. The site (and ZD its parent company, and AskMen, its sister site) is staffed by some of the most passionate and talented people I've ever met, and I'll miss them all immensely.

I'm leaving to step into the world of my ultimate passion: movies. You'll be able to continue following my misadventures when I join the team at Yahoo Movies UK by following me on Twitter at @TomButler.

I couldn't have achieved my dream on my own, so I'd just like to say thanks to a few people, in no particular order, for their help and support over the years: Joe Utichi, Alex Simmons, Drew Lubega, Chris Ellis, Ian Chambers, Rich Keen, Martin Robinson, Matt Wales, Orlando Parfitt, Dan Kilby, Will Guyatt, Stu Reid, Pete Blaszkiewicz, Daniel Krupa, and all the other lovely people that I work with every day here.

Edit: Few extra names that deserve a mention for their help and support: Chris Tilly, Bex May, Eriq Martin, Sean Allen, Peer & Tal and all the rest I forgot to add.

In true IGN style, here's my Top 10 moments...

The Weekend Initiative

The Weekend Initiative was a great little weekly digest show that I occasionally presented. This particular episode went from bad to worse as I proceeded to get quite tipsy during the filming.

Doctor Who Videocast

I loved doing the Doctor Who videocast, mainly because I got to work closely with my fellow Whovians Matt Risley, Blair Mowat, and Oli Smith under the watchful eye of the super-talented Rich Bearpark. We made six of these, each better than the last IMO.

The Pythons

As a massive Monty Python fan, meeting and interviewing Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones for the ill-fated Monty Python Facebook game, The Ministry of Silly Games, was a dream come true. This interview was for AskMen, IGN's sister site, and there was one for IGN, but it got lost in the digital ether unfortunately.

Tom Cruise

One of my first assignments upon joining IGN full-time was heading to Salzburg and Seville on a press trip for Knight & Day, the slightly rubbish Tom Cruise spy vehicle. It turned out to be pretty awesome though as I got driven by Cameron Diaz in a high speed chase, with Tom Cruise chasing us on a motorbike. The video is pretty cringey (i'm dying of thirst and can't stop weirdly licking my lips), but it's still an amazing memory to have.

Sylvester McCoy

As a long-time Doctor Who fan who grew up with Sylvester McCoy as his Doctor, interviewing the actor was another tick on the bucket list for me. He was as charming, funny and personable as I'd hoped for, and spending 30 minutes with him was an absolute pleasure.

Podcast 100

Recording and co-hosting the IGN UK Podcast over the years has been an absolute blast, mainly because it allowed me to hang out with my friends, talking about movies, video games, lasagna sandwiches, and whatever else we felt like for an hour. I truly believe it's one of the most under-acknowledged of IGN podcasts (alongside IGN Australia's Pubcast), but our loyal listeners have made it worthwhile every step of the way. One of my most bittersweet podcast memories is of one I didn't take part in, Podcast 100. I'd spent months planning the big live event at the legendary 100 Club in London, but I wasn't able to attend the event due to a family funeral, however, the guys made sure I played my part by taking a cardboard cut-out of me along, and I felt the love hundreds of miles away, making a very dark day a little bit brighter for me.

GTA V

Bringing things right up to date, You & IGN Plays: GTA V was an absolute pleasure to work on. I got to play A LOT of GTA and hang out with Alex and Daniel, two of my closest pals at IGN, and (I think) the results were pretty good in the end. I'm disappointed that I'll not get to do any more of these, but I'm sure they'll get on fine without me!

Pub Quiz

Running the IGN Pub Quiz over the last two(ish) years was always great fun. Meeting the people who read the site has always been great fun for me and I like to think that events like this helped to close the gap between the staff and the community. I'd love to come back and compete in one myself one day, so I hope the gang resurrect these soon.

Next Gen

The official announcements of the PS4 and Xbox One were ridiculously exciting events to report on and we worked through the night to make sure the folks at home got the very best content they could, and we broke all sorts of internal traffic records during the two livestreamed events. It also led to some pretty caffeine-induced moments of hysteria and hilarity.

The PS4 announcement would herald the end of the DualShock's Start & Select button so me and Rich Bearpark quickly put together this dumb little video that had us in stitches, I hope you enjoy it.

So that's it folks, so long, and thanks for all the fish.

PEACE OUT

*It's a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy quote if you're wondering.

]]>Thu, 07 Nov 2013 09:22:27 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/11/07/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/07/11/come-watch-jurassic-park-with-us
"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn't stop to think if they should..."

July 16th 2013 marks the 20th anniversary of the nationwide UK release of Jurassic Park, a film that we here at IGN love dearly. Both Daniel Krupa and I both confidently list it as our favourite movie of all time, with IGN Australia's Lucy summing up Steven Spielberg's 1993 dino-epic perfectly by calling it This Generation's Star Wars.

To honour this momentous anniversary, we're holding a special event at Loading Bar Soho on the evening of Thursday July 18th to celebrate all things Jurassic Park. There will be some classic Jurassic Park games to play, JP prizes to be won, a bit of cosplay (hopefully), and a special screening of the film itself.

This is a completely free event but space is strictly limited at Loading (we can fit in about 40 people comfortably), so please get down there early to claim your place and avoid disappointment. For more details and all the latest info on our #JP20 screening, head over to the official Facebook event page here.

Why not get yourself in the mood for #JP20 by watching this amazing video below:

I regret to inform you that we’re having to postpone tomorrow night’s Pub Quiz due to unforeseen circumstances.

Unfortunately, our venue has been double-booked us with a live TV broadcast happening in the main room. We could have still put the quiz on, but we would have to have kept the noise down, and this would have affected the quality and enjoyment of the quiz for everyone. We took the decision to postpone to ensure that we deliver the best Pub Quiz experience for your donation to Special Effect.

We only just found this out, so we’re really sorry that it’s such short notice. Please let all the members of your team aware of the postponement.

The new date for the IGN Pub Quiz is now Tuesday, May 28th – 7pm at the Walkabout in Temple.

Please let us know if you are able to attend the new date. Obviously, if you have booked a ticket through EventBrite, and are now no longer able to attend, please let me know and we’ll arrange a refund. We've sent emails out to all team captains informing them of the date change directly.

Again, we’re truly sorry to let you know at such short notice, but rest assured we’ll spend the time between now and the new date ensuring that the quiz is the best one yet. We’ll also continue adding the prize fund which already includes merch from EA, 2K Games, Bethesda, Titan, Insert Coin and more.

Feel free to contact me at any time if you need any further clarification.

Thanks for your continued support, and apologies for any issues this may cause.

]]>Wed, 01 May 2013 04:22:55 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/05/01/ign-pub-quiz-postponement#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/03/26/want-to-interview-gerard-butler-with-us
On Tuesday April 2nd, actor Gerard Butler is coming to IGN's London office to talk about his new action thriller Olympus Has Fallen which is out in UK cinemas on April 17th.

We called Olympus Has Fallen "a solid, old school action-thriller" in our review which you can read in full here. We'll be chatting him for 30 minutes about playing Secret Service agent Mike Banning and we want YOUR help!

We'll be hosting the interview in a Google+ Hangout between 11-11:30am (BST) and we're looking for willing and eager fans of Gerard Butler, Olympus Has Fallen, 300 or any of his films, to join us on the Hangout, so that they can chat to the actor with us - LIVE ON TEH INTERNETZ. Here's what our last Hangout with Hobbit actor Sylvester McCoy looked like.

Are you suitable?

The ideal community members for this must be:

A huge fan of Gerard Butler and action films in general

Available to join us on a Google+ Hangout for 1 hour from around 10:30am (BST) on Tuesday, April 2nd

Have a webcam, good internet connection, a pair of headphones, and a well-lit room

Awesome and articulate!

How do you get involved?

If you think you'd like to join us, please email me directly on tbutler@ign.com stating your full name, location, your gmail email address, and three questions you'd like to ask Gerard Butler.

I'll email you back pretty quickly, so please get in touch straight away if you want to get involved!!

International Hangout Times

Tuesday April 2nd, 11am-11:30am BST

Tuesday April 2nd, 3am-3:30am – San Francisco

Tuesday April 2nd, 6am-6:30am – New York

Tuesday April 2nd, 9pm-9:30pm – Sydney

]]>Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:04:03 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/03/26/want-to-interview-gerard-butler-with-us#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/03/22/cyberman-photoshop-fun
Anyone who knows me well, knows that I bloody love Doctor Who. Always have done, for as long as I can remember. I can't wait for the new series to start on March 30th, especially when we're going to see a new Cyberman story written by Neil Gaiman.

Anywho, earlier this week Entertainment Weekly published a Doctor Who photoshoot which included an utterly bonkers image of the new style Cyberman with his hands in the air like he just don't care.

I couldn't resist firing up Photoshop and having a bit of fun (see below). If you think you can do better, please send me your best efforts via IGNUKFeedback@IGN.com and I'll post the best ones up in this blogpost!

From IGN reader Fin

By IGN reader Ben Potter

By IGN reader Matt Evans AKA Mat-alan

From IGN reader Daniel del Soldato

From Joel Valenzuela

From Joseph Fernandez

]]>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 07:33:01 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/03/22/cyberman-photoshop-fun#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/03/07/want-to-interview-sylvester-mccoy-with-me
On Friday March 8th, acting legend Sylvester McCoy is coming to IGN's London office to talk about The Hobbit in celebration of the impending Blu-ray and DVD release on April 8th. We'll be interviewing him for 30 minutes about playing Radagast The Brown and we want YOU to help us interview him.

We'll be hosting the interview in a Google+ Hangout between 3-3:30pm (GMT) and we're looking for willing and eager fans of The Hobbit and Doctor Who to join us on the Hangout, so that they can interview the former Doctor with us - LIVE ON THE INTERNETZ.

ARE YOU SUITABLE?

The ideal community members for this must be:

A huge fan of The Hobbit/Lord Of The Rings

Available to join us on a Google+ Hangout for 1 hour from around 2:30pm on Friday, March 8th

Have a webcam, good internet connection, a pair of headphones, and a well-lit room

Awesome and articulate!

HOW DO YOU GET INVOLVED?

If you think you'd like to join us, please email me directly on tbutler@ign.com stating your full name, location, your gmail email address, and three questions you'd like to ask Sylvester McCoy.

I'll email you back pretty quickly as we're running out of time to be able to make this happen, so please get in touch straight away if you want to get involved!!

]]>Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:59:50 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/03/07/want-to-interview-sylvester-mccoy-with-me#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/02/27/come-hang-out-with-ign-at-gamerdisco
On Wednesday, March 6th, IGN is hosting the back room at Gamerdisco ("The UK's number 1 gaming club night!) - from 7:30pm until midnight at The Book Club, in Shoreditch, London - map here.

Two typical IGN readers chillaxing.

We'll all be bringing our Nintendo 3DSs with us along with Mario Kart 7 so that we can have a few races whilst we hang out over a pint or seven. Make sure you bring your 3DS along for some sweet StreetPass action too.

The event is completely free to enter, so there's no need to RSVP, just join the Facebook event here, and turn up on the night - ours is a pint of strong European lager please!

]]>Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:33:48 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/02/27/come-hang-out-with-ign-at-gamerdisco#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/02/20/the-unofficial-ign-playstation-4-announcement-drinking-game
UPDATE: Join the IGN Social Team as we watch the PlayStation Announcement, and attempt the drinking game, in the official "Unofficial IGN PlayStation 4 Announcement Drinking Game Thread" IT'S LIKE FREAKING CHRISTMAS HAS COME EARLY!

It's not every day we get a new console announced by one of the big guns, so to celebrate Sony's Future of PlayStation conference happening in New York later today, we plan to drink. Obvs.

If you'd like to play along with The Unofficial IGN PlayStation 4 Announcement Drinking Game (or TUIP4ADG as absolutely nobody is calling it) all you'll need is this link bookmarked so you can watch the livestream of the announcement from 10pm GMT (2pm Pacific or 5pm Eastern), and some drinks, preferably some beers, some wine, and a liquor of your choice.

Click on the image below for your handy print-out-keep guide to the rules of TUIP4ADG (catchy innit?).

If you're not a drinker, feel free to substitute the drinks with Oreos or cat biscuits.

]]>Wed, 20 Feb 2013 01:12:57 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/02/20/the-unofficial-ign-playstation-4-announcement-drinking-game#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/02/08/what-is-4d-cinema
To celebrate the release of Wreck-It Ralph into UK cinemas this weekend, Disney and Edible Cinema hosted a very special 4D screening at the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill earlier this week.

John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman, and director Rich Moore.

I couldn't resist the opportunity to sample the "full-sensory experience" on offer, despite having no idea what exactly a 4D screening would entail. I have a good handle on what to expect from the regular three Ds, but what would the fourth offer? The clue's in the name 'Edible Cinema'.

Upon arrival at the swanky Electric Cinema, we were greeted with delicious but dangerously boozy 'Pie Of Victory' cocktails (cherry sour with a 'piecrust' foam), before being led to our seats where we found a tray of assorted boxes, bottles and sprays, each numbered one to ten.

The idea behind Edible Cinema is that you eat, drink, or spray the corresponding numbered treat when the matching number flashes up on the screen. Each treat offers a complementary experience to one witnessed on screen - well that's the idea anyway. As you can see from the menu below, the treats ranged from delicious (red liquorice with popping candy), to icky (pork terrine with apple gel), to the downright bizarre (parmesan, chipotle, mustard breath spray).

Click To Enlarge

With a film like Wreck-It Ralph, the addition of food and drinks made perfect sense, but one thing that I've learned from my experience, is that it's hard to eat in the dark, especially when you're wearing 3D glasses.

]]>Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:11:09 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/02/08/what-is-4d-cinema#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/02/04/ign-gets-prepared-for-the-zombie-apocalypse
Last weekend, Daniel Krupa and I were sent for zombie survival training to celebrate the forthcoming release of zombie comedy Warm Bodies into UK cinemas on February 8th.

We headed to Bunker 51, a themed decommissioned Cold War Nuclear Bunker located near the Millennium Dome in North Greenwich, for weapons training, undead handling advice, and apocalypse survival tips.

So what did a day of zombie training teach us?

1: Years of playing video games have equipped us with badass weaponry skills. Krupa and I were top of the class in the target shooting exercises.

2: Paintballs are only of use against zombies if filled with a special anti-zombie formula, or at least, that's what John Lennon told us.

3: Wall-climbing in an essential skill we should probably work on. Also, coloured string is the most effective way to simulate a shattered window.

4: Duel-wielding paintball guns is most excellent and remembering to stock up on contact lenses is recommended.

5: In a simulated zombie apocalypse, the most terrifying thing... is the acting.

]]>Mon, 04 Feb 2013 08:41:26 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/02/04/ign-gets-prepared-for-the-zombie-apocalypse#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/01/11/take-a-walk-down-8-bit-lane
If you ever pay a visit to London, a trip down Brick Lane is definitely recommended, and not just for hipster-spotting. Nestled between London's trendy hotspot Shoreditch and Aldgate's Banglatown, Brick Lane offers culinary treats (the salt beef bagels are unforgettable as are the majority of the curry houses), vintage shops galore, as well as heaps of cool bars, record shops and street art.

But pay a visit to Brick Lane this weekend (January 11-13, 2013) head for The Truman Brewery (91 Brick Lane) and you'll find the world of Disney's Wreck-It Ralph brought to life on 8-Bit Lane. Renowned film sculptor Aden Hynes has created a bunch of bespoke pixel-inspired pieces of art including a London Taxi, a CCTV camera, leaking waterpipe and (this is our favourite) an 8-bit dog and his 8-bit do do.

Check out the photos below and if you head down there yourself make sure you try out the playable building, where you can play Fix-It Felix with the help of the AR app Blippar.

Wreck-It Ralph is in UK cinemas on February 8th.

]]>Fri, 11 Jan 2013 08:24:10 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2013/01/11/take-a-walk-down-8-bit-lane#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2012/12/14/win-mass-effect-merch
To celebrate the launch of the Mass Effect Trilogy and a whole host of Best Of 2012 nominations for Mass Effect 3 including Best RPG of 2012, BioWare has sent us 20 Mass Effect Mini Normandy SR2 replicas and 20 N7 shirts to give to you, our lovely UK readers!

What You Could Win

A diecast mini Normandy model and an N7 t-shirt!

How To Enter

There are many memorable moments from all the Mass Effect games. In the comments below, tell us any of your favourite scenes or scenarios from any of the games and 20 entries will be selected at random. If you have never played any of the games, tell us what about the Mass Effect trilogy you are most excited for. Don't be shy with your answers!

All entries must be submitted by 10:00am GMT December 19th, 2012

This competition is open to UK residents over the age of 18 only. Full contest rules are below

IGN

IGN Mass Effect Giveaway

Official Rules

1. DESCRIPTION: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. The Mass Effect Giveaway ("Sweepstakes") begins on December 14th, 2012 and ends at 10:00 AM [GMT] on December 16th, 2012 (the “Sweepstakes Period”). See Sections 3 and 4 below for more details. The Sponsor of this Sweepstakes is IGN Entertainment UK Ltd. ("Sponsor”).

2. ELIGIBILITY: Sweepstakes is open to residents of the United Kingdom who are at least 18years of age at time of entry and who have internet access before the beginning of any applicable Sweepstakes Period. Any individuals (including but not limited to employees, consultants, independent contractors and interns) who have, within the past six months, held employment with or performed services for Sponsor or any organizations affiliated with the sponsorship, fulfillment, administration, prize support, advertisement or promotion of the Sweepstakes are not eligible to enter or win. Immediate Family and Household Members of such individuals are also not eligible to enter or win. "Immediate Family Members" shall mean parents, step-parents, legal guardians, children, step-children, siblings, step-siblings, or spouses. "Household Members" shall mean those people who share the same residence at least three months a year.

3. HOW TO ENTER: To enter, visit the Official IGN blog entry during the Sweepstakes Period at the following url: http://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2012/12/14/win-mass-effect-merch/ and leave a comment in the section below detailing your favourite moment from a Mass Effect video game. You must be a registered member of IGN.com to leave comments. Registration is free at http://www.IGN.com; All other entries will be ignored or discarded and all eligible entries must be received by December 19th, 2012. Entries will only be accepted during the applicable Sweepstakes Period. No other methods of entry will be accepted. Only one entry per person will be accepted. All entries become the property of IGN and will not be returned. IGN assumes no responsibility for lost, stolen, illegible, incomplete, incorrect, late or misdirected entries, or other errors or problems of any kind whether mechanical, human, or electronic. Entries are limited to individuals only; commercial enterprises and business entities are not eligible. Use of any false information will disqualify an entry. IGN at its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person who tampers with the entry process or the operation of the website, who violates the Sweepstakes Rules, or who otherwise interferes with the proper operation of the Sweepstakes. By entering, entrants accept and agree to abide by the terms of these official rules (these “Sweepstakes Rules”).

4. WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION: Winners will be selected in a random drawing conducted by the Sponsor from all eligible entries on or about December 20th, 2012. Prize winner will be notified thereafter on or about the same day. Selected winners will be required to respond (as directed) to the notification within seventy-two (72) hours (or a shorter time if required by exigencies) of attempted notification. The failure to respond timely to the notification may result in forfeiture of the prize. Sponsor in its sole discretion may attempt to contact up to three (3) potential winners of a prize in accordance with the above procedure, after which the prize in question may go unawarded if it remains unclaimed. If any potential prize winner is found to be ineligible, or if he or she has not complied with these Official Rules or declines the prize for any reason prior to award, such potential prize winner will be disqualified and an alternate prize winner may be selected. Grand prize winner may be required to verify address and to execute before a notary public and return within five (5) days (or a shorter time if required by exigencies) an affidavit of eligibility, a liability release, and (where imposing such condition is legal) a publicity release (collectively, the "Prize Claim Documents") covering eligibility, liability, advertising, publicity and media appearance issues. Prize will not be awarded until all such properly executed and notarized Prize Claim Documents are returned.

5. PRIZES: Twenty (20) winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. The winners will each receive one (1) diecast mini Normandy model (ERV £20.00) and one (1) Mass Effect N7 t-shirt (ERV £20.00). Total Estimated Retail Value of the Sweepstakes: £40.00. Winners will be responsible for any local taxes resulting from acceptance of the prize. Prize winners cannot assign or transfer the prize to another person. No cash or prize substitution is allowed except at the discretion of Sponsor. The prize will be awarded. If the prize cannot be awarded due to circumstances beyond the control of Sponsor, a substitute prize of equal or greater retail value will be awarded; provided, however, that if prizes are awarded but unclaimed/forfeited by recipient, prize may not be re-awarded, in Sponsor's sole discretion. Other restrictions may apply. EXCLUDING ONLY APPLICABLE MANUFACTURERS’ WARRANTIES, THE PRIZE PROVIDED TO THE WINNERS ARE “AS IS” WITHOUT FURTHER WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. IGN DISCLAIMS ALL FURTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE PRIZES.

6. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION/RELEASES: Sweepstakes is void where prohibited or restricted by law. All local laws and regulations apply. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Sweepstakes Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which shall be final in all respects. By participating in this Sweepstakes and/or by accepting any prize that they may win, entrants agree to release the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiary and affiliated companies, units and divisions and advertising and promotional agencies and prize suppliers; each of their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives and employees; and each of these companies and individuals' respective successors, representatives and assigns (collectively, the "Released Parties") from any and all actions, claims, injury, loss or damage arising in any manner, directly or indirectly, from participation in this Sweepstakes and/or acceptance or use of the prize. Entrants authorize the Released Parties to use their name, voice, likeness, biographical data, city and state of residence and entry materials in programming or promotional material, worldwide in perpetuity, or on a winner's list, if applicable, without further compensation unless prohibited by law. Entrants also grant the Released Parties a perpetual, fully-paid, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, display, exhibit, transmit, broadcast, televise, digitize, otherwise use, and permit others to use and perform throughout the world their entry materials in any manner, form, or format now or hereinafter created, including on the internet, and for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising or promotion of the Released Parties and/or their respective services, all without further consent from or payment to you. The Released Parties are not obligated to use any of the above mentioned information or materials, but may do so and may edit such information or materials, at Sponsor's sole discretion, without further obligation or compensation. The Released Parties shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, stolen, misdirected, incomplete, unreadable, inaccurate, garbled or unintelligible entries, communications or affidavits, regardless of the method of transmission; (ii) telephone system, telephone or computer hardware, software or other technical or computer malfunctions, lost connections, disconnections, delays or transmission errors; (iii) data corruption, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to or alteration of entry or other materials; (iv) any injuries, losses or damages of any kind caused by the prize or resulting from acceptance, possession or use of a prize, or from participation in the Sweepstakes; or (v) any printing, typographical, administrative or technological errors in any materials associated with the Sweepstakes. The Released Parties disclaims any liability for damage to any computer system resulting from participating in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with this Sweepstakes, and reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend the Sweepstakes should a virus, bug, computer problem, unauthorized intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor's control, corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Sweepstakes. The Released Parties may prohibit you from participating in the Sweepstakes or winning a prize if, in their sole discretion, they determine you are attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes by cheating, hacking, deception, or any other unfair playing practices of intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other players or the Released Parties representative. This Sweepstakes will be governed by the internal laws of the United Kingdom, without reference to conflicts of laws principles.

7. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: Sponsor reserves the right to terminate this promotion by giving notice as deemed appropriate in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Should such notice be given, the promotion shall terminate at 09:59:59 a.m. [GMT] on the following day thereafter. Notwithstanding said termination, the Prizes will be awarded as set forth in these Official Rules.

8. PRIVACY POLICY: Any personal information supplied by you to IGN will be subject to IGN's privacy policy posted at http://corp.ign.com/privacy.html. Acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for IGN and its advertising and promotional agencies to use winners’ names and likenesses and biographical data for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

]]>Fri, 14 Dec 2012 04:29:00 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2012/12/14/win-mass-effect-merch#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2012/09/13/judge-dredd-wiki-contributor-challenge-winners
For the last four weeks, IGN has been running a Contributor Challenge on the Judge Dredd wiki, the idea being, that we reward those who contributed the most important and relevant content of the highest quality to the wiki for their efforts. Up for grabs was a brand new PlayStation 3, a Karl Urban Blu-ray bundle and Judge Dredd graphic novels for the runners up.

As you can imagine, for such an amazing prize, the contest was fiercely fought, and as such it was a huge success. We've seen the wiki blossom from a skeleton of a wiki to a fully-fleshed out hive of knowledge, crammed with info about every aspect of the Judge Dredd universe, so we'd just like to thank each and every one of our contributors - we couldn't have done it without you.

With that said, let's get down to business.

The Winners

The judging criteria in selecting our winner for the contributions they made is clearly defined in the Contributor Challenge Official Contest Rules, they read:

4. JUDGING CRITERIA: Entrants should submit their most useful contributions pursuant to these official rules (these “Promotion Rules”). Each entrant’s aggregate contributions will be judged by the Promoter according to the following criteria:

30% Importance/Relevance – Does the contribution fulfill a request from the Contributor Challenge, or fulfill reader needs?

50% Depth – Is the contribution minor, or complete?

20% Quality – Does the contribution require heavy copy-editing or is it well-written and -formatted?

As such, we're not looking for volume of wiki edits, rather, the quality of the content added. The rules clearly state:

IGN at its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person who tampers with the entry process or the operation of the website, who violates the Promotion Rules, or who otherwise interferes with the proper operation. By entering, entrants accept and agree to abide by the terms of these official rules.

With that in mind, we've chosen ScrubberSteve as the overall winner of the wiki contributor challenge who wins a new PlayStation 3 and Karl Urban Blu-ray bundle.

The runners up of the Contributor Challenge, who each win a 2000AD Graphic Novel bundle are:

To claim your prize please email UKComps@IGN.com with your full name, date of birth and address before 10am Thursday September 20th to claim your prize.

All decisions of the judging panel are final on all aspects of the Promotion.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Judge Dredd Contributor Challenge, stay tuned for details of more wiki challenges for UK readers coming soon!

]]>Thu, 13 Sep 2012 03:27:58 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2012/09/13/judge-dredd-wiki-contributor-challenge-winners#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2012/07/17/doctor-who-wiki-contributor-challenge-winners
Throughout the month of June and into July, IGN has been running a Contributor Challenge on the Doctor Who wiki, the idea being, that we reward those who contributed the most important and relevant content of the highest quality to the wiki for their efforts. Up for grabs was a brand new PlayStation 3 and a few copies of Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, kindly donated by BBC Worldwide - the publishers of the game.

As you can imagine, for such an amazing prize, the contest was fiercely fought, and as such it was a huge success. We've seen the wiki blossom from a skeleton of a wiki to a fully-fleshed out hive of knowledge, crammed with info about every aspect of the Whoniverse, so we'd just like to thank each and every one of our contributors - we couldn't have done it without you. Don't forget to keep coming back and adding new information about the upcoming Season 7, the 50th anniversary and everything else Who-related.

With that said, let's get down to business.

The Winners

4. JUDGING CRITERIA: Entrants should submit their most useful contributions pursuant to these official rules (these “Promotion Rules”). Each entrant’s aggregate contributions will be judged by the Promoter according to the following criteria:

30% Importance/Relevance – Does the contribution fulfill a request from the Contributor Challenge, or fulfill reader needs?

50% Depth – Is the contribution minor, or complete?

20% Quality – Does the contribution require heavy copy-editing or is it well-written and -formatted?

As such, we're not looking for volume of wiki edits, rather, the quality of the content added. The rules clearly state:

IGN at its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person who tampers with the entry process or the operation of the website, who violates the Promotion Rules, or who otherwise interferes with the proper operation. By entering, entrants accept and agree to abide by the terms of these official rules.

With that in mind, we've chosen TheRealRiftMaster as the overall winner of the wiki contributor challenge who wins a new PlayStation 3 and a copy of Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock.

The runners up of the Contributor Challenge, who each win a download code for Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock for PS3 are:

To claim your prize please email UKComps@IGN.com with your full name, date of birth and address before 10am Friday July 20th to claim your prize.

All decisions of the judging panel are final on all aspects of the Promotion.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Doctor Who Contributor Challenge, stay tuned for details of more wiki challenges for UK readers coming soon!

]]>Tue, 17 Jul 2012 06:37:11 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2012/07/17/doctor-who-wiki-contributor-challenge-winners#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2012/06/12/gtayup-by-alex-holloway
After listening to episode 140 of the IGN UK Podcast, where we suggested someone should make a game based on the nostalgic ITV cop show Heartbeat, set in the Yorkshire Dales with suggested name of GTAyup (listen from around the 55 minute mark), listener Alex Holloway (SolidFox535) created this incredible picture for it. We love it! Thanks!

Please send all your podcast feedback for the team to IGNUKFeedback@ign.com, we love reading it!

]]>Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:49:58 -0800Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2011/12/21/2011-my-10-favourite-albums#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2011/10/03/win-warrior-stuff-with-your-best-shake-face
To celebrate the best MMA film EVER - Warrior - currently in UK cinemas right now starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, we've been given three Warrior goody bags to give way on IGN UK's Twitter feed.

Shake Face photos are easy to do - just let your face go all loose, shake your head as violently as you can from side to side, take a snap (preferably with a flash) - voila - shake face! It's so easy - i've done one myself to show you...

Send us your pics before 5pm TODAY (3/10/11) including the hashtag #Warrior, and we'll pick three winners at 5pm.

]]>Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:50:06 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2011/10/03/win-warrior-stuff-with-your-best-shake-face#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2011/06/07/e3-diary-day-2
I haven't got much time to write this as I've just come out of the Nintendo conference before I wage into battle on the show floor itself.

Initial impressions of the Nintendo conference were: confusing, but potentially exciting. For a long time it was still unclear whether WiiU was a periphery or a console, but after all the tech demos, it was clear that this was a whole new ball game. Although it seems that the power of WiiU will be eclipsed again when the PS and Xbox release their updates.

Hopefully have a chance to have a look at the tech in much more detail soon.

I'm heading off into the show now for time with the Kinect titles (someone has to!), Deus Ex, Hitman, EA titles, hopefully Bioshock Infinite, Forza 4, so will report back later...

Update - 00:38am

It's the long of a very tiring day here in Los Angeles. This morning's Nintendo conference seems like years ago as today has been soooo busy.

After my initial blog post this morning, I headed off to have a look at Microsoft's Kinect line-up of Dance Central 2 (more of the same), Kinect Star Wars (lame at a Phantom Menace level), Disneyland Adventures (awesome game for kids), Kinect Sports Season 2 (American football? URGH), and Fun Labs. Of all the things on show there, Disneyland looks great, an amazing licencing opportunity that really brings Walt's vision to life, even if it's just for the kiddywinks. Fun Labs also looks quite interesting, and I'm just writing up a piece of editorial on the possibilities of Fun Labs to go on IGN tomorrow, so keep em peeled for that.

After that I took a look at Hitman Absolution an Deus Ex, but with not having played either game in the past, I wasn't too taken with either, but Hitman did slightly edge ahead just because it looked fun to play.

From there I hooked up with Alex and we went to have a look at Wii U before I went on 5 Live to discuss it with Tony Livesy. Although there were no free slots to be able to get hands-on with Wii U, it's amazing what the flash of the IGN badge coupled with a mention of the BBC will get you. We were whisked upstairs into the VIP for a brief whistlestop Wii U 'Experience'. My initial confusion and misgivings about Nintendo's new console were quickly swept away by the realisation of what it could potentially do in the future. When Nintendo says it wants to change the way you game - it means it.

After my 5 Live phoner, we hung out at the IGN stage for a bit - met Greg Miller and Colin Moriarty in person for the first time - they were lovely, as you'd expect. Watched Hilary interviewing the folks behind the new Halo games, then left to go to a Nintendo developers roundtable (well huge theatre roundtable) with Miyamoto, and the guys behind Skyward Sword and Super Mario 3D, which was pretty cool. Miyamoto was charming, funny, and generally awesome.

We've podcasted part 2 of our E3 specials so keep an ear out for that, so now to bed, for another big day on the show floor tomorrow.

"Good job Jeremy"

]]>Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:45:26 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2011/06/07/e3-diary-day-2#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2011/06/06/e3-diary-day-1
I come to the end of my first full day of E3 - I'm tired, full of expectation, and ready for a good night's sleep, safe in the knowledge that I have to do it all, all over again tomorrow.

The day began with an early morning trip to the Microsoft press conference. A large coffee and a banana nut muffin saw me through a fairly mediocre event, which saw Microsoft giving Kinect the hardsell, and the two most exciting games being third party titles - Tomb Raider and MW3.

Then we were whisked off to the EA press conference, which was held in the Orpheum, a really cool old-fashioned theater. EA have all the best games imho - from Mass Effect to FIFA, taking in Star Wars The Old Republic and Battlefield 3 along the way. It was an amazing conference, making the most of the location, and incredible sound system on offer.

After some ramen for lunch, Alex, Dan and I recorded the UK podcast before heading to the Sony press conference which, for all the pomp and bluster, was pretty much as lame as the Microsoft one. Yes, they confirmed some cool stuff announced for Vita (NGP), ie cloud-based cross-platform gaming, but otherwise, there were no real surprises. The party looked good after, but having had such a long day, we just wanted to come back to the hotel and chill the eff out.

Despite some technical issues with the podcast, it was another successful day, with the US guys doing an incredible job on getting all the conference videos up in record time.

To be honest, the first day's conferences have been middling, so let's hope Nintendo can pull it out of the bag for everyone tomorrow morning. I'll be there with my large (project) cafe au lait to see if they have what it takes to win the show!

That's really surreal for me to be writing to be honest. I love visiting the United States, but I've only ever been to the East coast, so to make it to Hollywood is pretty cool. I even saw the Hollywood sign - Mum... I've finally made it.

I've spent the last three days in San Francisco sight-seeing, and paying a brief visit to the IGN office, but now the fun/hard work really begins. LA seems to be such a stark contrast to SF - for one the climate is much better (SF was cold, wet, and windy, LA - tropical), and for two: where SF is 7 miles squared, when I looked out of the plane window over LA - the size of the place literally took my breath away.

You'd think that LA Noire may have prepared me for the sheer scale of this city, but oh no... This is one huge city - blocks and blocks of buildings, as far as the eye can see. It's a sprawling mass, totally the opposite of everything I'm used to in London. The hotel we're staying in (I'm rooming with Sad Dan) is in Little Tokyo, and it's a Japanese hotel, hence a fully functional Japanese loo. It has more controls and buttons than a 6-Axis, there is no way I'll be using it the full extent.

Tonight we've been to a BAFTA event held in the Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. This was pretty cool for a few reasons - it was an audience with Will "Sim City" Wright, it was hosted by IGN's Tal Blevins, and it was in an amazingly evocative old fashioned Hollywood backlot. The talk was great, the free beer even better.

Headed for dinner after with Alex (IGN UK Editor in chief), Naz and Cam (IGN AU), and IGN veterans Tal and Peer, for delicious seafood, local beers, and general banter. There was a guy there though who had a t-shirt with 'Waterboarding instructor' on the back, and an arabic symbol on the front - that was definitely weird.

All in all though, we've had a great evening, even if Alex was almost dead with jetlag. Early start tomorrow - Microsoft press conference, then EA, Ubisoft and Sony, so will report back tomorrow. We're planning to record daily podcasts so keep an eye out for them!

We have fun making it, hope you enjoy watching it. What are your thoughts so far? Is there anything else you'd like to see us do more of? Previews perhaps?

Let me know!

]]>Sat, 11 Sep 2010 04:56:21 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/09/11/ign-uks-the-weekend-initiative-feedback-so-far#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/08/27/new-console-time
Having just been paid, and discovering that I could potentially get myself a new console this weekend as the DSi has been reduced to £99.99, and a second-hand Wii will only set me back £80, I just need to make up my mind which one to get.

I already have a PS3 at home, but I keep seeing Wii games that I really really want to play ie Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Metroid: Other M etc

But... I don't have a handheld.

Should I wait for 3DS? Do I get a Wii, if so which games do I get too? Dilemma.

]]>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:54:48 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/08/27/new-console-time#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/08/26/will-you-be-going-to-see-avatar-special-edition
My feature about the extended cut of Avatar that is hitting the cinemas tomorrow has been getting a lot of feedback.

So the burning question is... will you be parting with your hard-earned cash to go see Avatar?

Personally, I think if you haven't seen Avatar on the big screen, now is the perfect time to see the most spectacular 3D movie ever, on the biggest screen you can. But what do you think? Shameless cash-in?

]]>Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:37:15 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/08/26/will-you-be-going-to-see-avatar-special-edition#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/08/15/scott-pilgrim-vs-popular-opinion
I've been resisting declaring my reaction to the Scott Pilgrim film since I saw it at a preview on Thursday, and mainly because I'm still not 100% about how I feel about it. Let me explain.

I'm a big fan of the Scott Pilgrim books by Brian Lee O'Malley, although I admit I hadn't read them until Edgar Wright was attached to direct - so relative n00b - but I adore the books with every inch of my comic-loving soul.

I relate to Scott - his forgetfulness, his attitude to relationships, his baggage - all of it, I just love the little guy and all of his dumbass friends (especially Wallace), and I even have a bit of a crush on the cartoon Knives. I recently re-read all six books in preparation for seeing the film, which following the numerous trailers, I couldn't be more psyched about - this was going to be the film of my summer - I was certain.

When the film began with a pixelated Universal logo, with an 8-bit sting, I did a little internal geek-squee - so far so good. By the time the credits rolled I had a persistent lingering feeling of disappointment. Don't get me wrong, there are bits of this movie that I absolutely loved - it's reverence for video games and movie lore are undoubted - it's Edgar Wright... but for some reason instead of loving the film, the most I could manage was like.

Having seen the numerous superlative reviews from film reviewers and the Twittersphere, I get the sense that I may be on my own on this, herein lies the rub. Did I feel disappointment that the film wasn't as good as the comics, or is it just a bit meh?

I'm going to stick with my gut instinct and say that the film was a bit of a disappointment. It's a good film, just not the greatest thing since sliced bread that I'd been hyped to expect. Michael Cera (and I'm no hater of the Ceratops) just isn't Pilgrim for me, in fact, he's just not the character from the books, he's not that likeable. And Mary Winstead, beautiful as she is, just isn't Ramona. Of all the girls Knives is the most endearing, and I was rooting for her to land Pilgrim over Romana in the end, even though I knew how it ended.

All of his quirky friends get a bit of a short shrift in favour of extra screen time for the evil exes, and as much as I loved Brandon Routh and Chris Evans in particular, I'd have much rather have seen more of Kim, Wallace, Stacey et al instead.

Hey ho, it's still one of the better films to come out this summer, and heck, I'll probably go see it again, but as usual I fell for the over-hype preceding the film.

In declaring that I needed to see the film again to make my mind up fully, a friend of mine commented that I should trust my instincts over the film, rather than feel confused by my apparent opposition to the public opinion, and after much thought - I had to agree. That's the beauty of criticism - everyone is entitled to their own opinion even if it differs to the general consensus.

Film criticism is subjective, and never foolproof, if it were then every film on Rotten Tomatoes would be either 100% or 0%, but then I suppose that's why we have review aggregators like RT in the first place.

Ultimately - to decide whether you like a film or not, the best thing you can do is see it for yourself, preferably on the biggest and best screen you can find. Have an opinion and don't just stick to one person's opinion. Scott Pilgrim vs The World may end up being your favourite film of 2010, but for me - it came up short.

What are your favourite films of 2010? Which so called classics do you think are a bit meh? And which critically deemed stinkers do you think are actually pretty good?

]]>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:57:41 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/08/15/scott-pilgrim-vs-popular-opinion#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/08/05/batman-arkham-city-what-i-want
I just want it now please.

Although I couldn't possibly spill my thoughts on what I thought about Expendables as it's embargoed until tonight, what I can say is that it deserves an inevitable sequel - which got me to thinking...

Who could join the cast for Expendables Part Deux?

Me and my housemate agreed that Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal were glaring ommissions this time round, so surely they should be shoo-in for the sequel... but who else?

Suggestions on a post card please. Or in the comments below.

]]>Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:31:57 -0700Edithttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/08/04/the-expendables-2-who-should-join-the-cast#disqus_threadhttp://www.ign.com/blogs/tombutler_ign/2010/08/03/sorcerors-apprentice
I know you guys in the states have had this for a while, but it's just coming out here in Blighty next week, and me and Chris went to see it last night.

Going into it knowing next to nothing was probably for the best, because if I'd known what a steaming pile of cack it was, I probably wouldn't have bothered. It's utter tosh, and not even enjoyable tosh. Nic Cage seems happy to churn this kind of rubbish out, but i'm not happy to watch it.

Jay Baruchel is ok, but he needs to stick with the edgier stuff because he's not suited as a Disney lead. He's like a young Christian Slater - he needs to be making a Heathers-type film to affirm his cult status. Poor Toby Kebbel, who's normally the best thing in any film, gets lumbered with a Jedward haircut and wacky costume, only to get killed off early on. Still there's a nice bit of eye-candy in the shape of Teresa Palmer, who I've never seen before, but will be keeping an eye out for in the future.

Give this a miss I reckon. Off to see Expendables later so will update tomorrow...